Index device



PatentedFeb. s, 1927. 1

q n nan-en T Ti ties.-

WILLIAM nnowann, OF Los AnenLEs. oaiainonnm.

INDEX nnvron.

Application filed April '17, 1924; aSerialNo. 707,096. j

This invention relates to a means or system for maintaining numbered indicia-bearing cards in proper order and for facilitat- ,ing the removal of a certain card when de sired. i

The general object secutively numbered cards may be readily classified or separated.

One of the specific objects of the invention is to provide a file of consecutively numbered cards wherein the individual cards each has a signal thereon and wherein the like signals are disposed back of each other in a straight line. i i

Another object of the invention is to provide a file comprising 'sets of numbered cards" wherein cards having common characters thereon are placed in'a straight line back of each other and wherein other sig] nal means are prov1ded to indicate the ndividual sets.

Another object of the invention is to provide a consecutively numbered card file com prising a plurality of sets'of twenty cards each wherein the upper portion of each card is notched and 1 is provided with a signal adjacent and wherein the signal may be the numeral which appears in theunits place on the card, with the cards having the even tens disposed at one side of the file while the cards having the odd tensare disposed at the other side of the file. a

A' further object of theinventionJ-is to provide acard file for consecutively numv bered cards wherein a signal which maybe the numeral appearing in the units place of the number on the card is exposed and wherein the terminal signal accompanying the end card facilitates selection of cards.

Other objects of the'inv'ention will beapparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein Fig.1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a file embodying the features of my invention; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the cards having an even tens digit; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the cardshaving an odd. tens digit; Fig. 4- is an elevation showing a plus rality of the cards with the tenth and twentieth card-s moved upwardly and laterally,

toexpose the edge portions; Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the cards asarranged in Fig. 1 and Fig. 6 1s a fragmentary perspective view of a file showing the cardsarranged in I a difi'erent manner. I a a As stated, the general object of the invention is to provide an improved numerically i arranged card file. The file embodying the- H of the invention is to provide an improved card file whereby c0n,

features of my invention, which will be presently described, provides means for readily filing numerically numbered cards. My in,- vention also enables any desired cards to be quickly and readily removed from a file and also visually indicates when any of the cards have been removed or are improperly filed.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, I have shown a'ca'rd index at '10. Each index comprises a plurality of cards which may be numbered consecutively by' numbers preferably placed adjacent the top of each card-'as'at. 11. The cards are shown of information useful in the. business of ab v stracting titles. In Fig. 4 one of the cards is shown with information 14- thereon relating to real estate transfers. The card also has a'certain designation 15 which may be the official classification of the instrument w-hile the location of the property may be setforth at 16. The date may be supplied at 17while a follower card'18 may signal thereon showing the date of all cards in a section. v 7

Each ofthe cards 10 is provided with a have a v,

notched portion 19 and adjacent this notched portion I show a numeral or signal at 20.

The file shown in the drawings includes cards numbered consecutively from 5001-to 5100. The first card 5001 is provided with a signal shown at 20 as numeral 1 which corresponds with the 1 in the units place of the number 5001. The second card which is numbered 5002 is providedwithfa signal 2 which is shown at 21 as arranged slightly I tothe right of thesignal 20. The third card is numbered5003 and is provided with the signal 3; the next card with the signal a and so on. The card 5010 shown at 22 is provided with signal 23 which is the character zero and which likewise corresponds with the character in the units place of the number 5010.

The arrangement described is continued until a complete set of twenty cards is provided.' The twentieth card as shown at 25 and numbered 5020 is provided with a signal 0 as shown .at 26. The second set of cards is identical with the first set in so far as the siganls are concerned the only difl'er- I ence being that in the second set the cards are numbered from 5021 to 5040. This arrangement is continued until the desired number of cards is arranged in the file. From the foregoing description it will be noted that at the left side of the cards the signals shown are on the cards which have even numbers in the tens. place of their numerals while at the right of the card the signals indicate cards bearing numbers which have odd units in the tens place.

The only exception to this arrangement just described is that the extreme right sig nal which is the character zero is arranged on the cards having even tens. described arrangement of the terminal zero at the extreme right is to facilitate counting. Since there are twenty cards between each terminal zero the operator need merely count the terminal zeros and. mentally multiply the number of terminal zeros by twenty to locate the proper set after which the proper signal will be selected'and the correct card drawn.

The arrangement of the cards having the odd and even tens digits is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 where it will be noted that the signals on the cards having numbersivith even tens digits which are shown as the numeral 3 as at 30, are all in a straight line while the signals 31 which comprise the numerals 3 for the cards bearing odd tens digits are likewise arranged in a straight line, but at the opposite side of the iile.

The cards are all preferably of the same size and they may be arranged with the sets stepped as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, or they may be arranged with the top of the signals all in the same plane as shown in Fig. 6.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have provided an improved index system for numerically numbered cards which is extremely simple, so that unskilled labor may handle the cards, and wherein acard may be readily removed or replaced in the proper position and wherein the absence of a card will be readily detected by the absence of the signal. 7

Having thus described my invention, I claim: I 1. In a filingand indexing device, a plurality of cards each having an identifying number thereon, each of said cards also having a signal thereon, said signal being the same as the units digit of the card with the signal on each card so located that all cards having the same units digit and having an This last even tens digit have the signals in one line and allcards having the same units digit and having an odd tens digit have the signals in another line.

2. A. set of cards numbered consecutively, said cards being arranged in multiple sets of twenty with a numeral corresponding to the units digit displayed on each'card as a signal and with zeros disposed at the right for the purpose of indicating the different sets, said Zeros being disposed on the cards having even tens digits thereon, the signals being arranged in straight lines with the same signal displayed in each line.

3. The method of signalling to indicate individual cards in a plurality of cards bearing consecutive numbers, comprising displaying a normally visible index signal on each card, theindex signal visible on each card corresponding to the units digit of the number on the 'card, the cards bearing the same visible signals and having even tens digits having their signals disposed in straight lines back of each other and the cards bearing the same visible signals and having odd tens digits having their signals disposed in other straight lines had: of each other.

41-. A set of consecutively numbered cards, said set comprising a plurality of groups of twenty cards each, said cards being notched at one corner and having a numeral corresponding to the units digit visible as a sig nal, the cards whose numbers include an odd tens digit having the signal showing at the right in each'group of twenty cards and the cards whose numbers include an even tens digit having. the signal showing at the left in each group of twenty cards and with the cards bearing even tens digits and zero units digits having the signals arranged at the extreme right, said signals on the cards being disposed in straight columns. i 5. In a filing and indexing device, a plurality of cards bearing consecutive numbers, said cards each having a normally visible signal displayed thereon, the signal visible oneach card'being a numeral corresponding to the units digit on the card, said device comprising a plurality of sets of twenty cards each, with the cards having the odd tens digits having their signal disposed at the right of each set and the cards having the even tens digit-s having the signal disposed at the left of each set, the units digits of the cards having the odd tens digits having their signals in straight columns, and the units digits of the cards having the even tens digits also having their signals disposed in straight columns.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

WILLIAM. N. HOWARD. 

